The Top Storylines to Watch at the 2015 WTA Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships

While the world No. 1 is absent, the women's tour will sense an opportunity. Despite Serena Williams' decision not to take part, there will still be a number of intriguing storylines to watch out for at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. 

Petra Kvitova will be looking for her second title of the season and the chance to lay down a marker in her bid to avoid another three-year wait for a major.

Agnieszka Radwanska will be hoping to show further signs that her new partnership with Martina Navratilova is more than just a statement of intent. 

The following slides will analyse the four dominant storylines to look out for in this week's tournament.

Simona Halep to Recapture Her 2013 Form

Lee Jin-man/Associated Press

Simona Halep threatened to shake up what equilibrium existed on the WTA tour when she finished 2013 with six titles.

Winning in New Haven in the middle of that rampant spell, Halep saw off three players ranked above her and dropped just one set.

Women's tennis was ready for a challenger with teeth. A little over a year later and Halep's bite has been ferocious but with little to show for it.

That isn't meant to do her second-place finish at Roland Garros last year a disservice. And it isn't a knock on her WTA Finals performance, as she dispatched Serena Williams in the group stage along the way 6-0, 6-2.

While Williams is still around, there is a belief that everyone else is playing for second. The American's absence in Dubai gives Halep a strong chance of adding to the title she won recently at Shenzhen and rediscovering the feeling she found time and again in 2013.

Another serious tilt at the French Open will require strong form. Despite the difference in surface, Dubai would be the ideal place to put the wheels back on the Halep bandwagon. 

Kvitova to Become a Dominant Force

Bernat Armangue/Associated Press

Petra Kvitova has the opposite problem of Simona Halep. 

The two-time Wimbledon winner went three years between Grand Slams and will be desperate not to endure a similar wait for the next one.

Last year's win on Centre Court against Eugenie Bouchard was somewhat of a procession. Bouchard couldn't cope with Kvitova's power and know-how, which resulted in a devastatingly one-sided final. 

In the two Slams since, Kvitova has twice lost in the round of 32 to lower-ranked opponents—Aleksandra Krunic at the U.S. Open and Madison Keys in Melbourne.

Kvitova needs to show some consistency to prove she can become a dominant force. All the attributes are there: aggression, height and intelligence.

It's about finding a balanced mix and edging her tight Slam defeats to so-called lesser players.

Her recent win in Sydney means victory in Dubai would be two titles from four events this year. Following Sydney, Kvitova wrote in a tour diary for the BBC that she didn't see herself as "one of the big, big favourites" for the Australian Open.

Now is the time, then, for her to go on a run that would see her, at least in other people's eyes, become a big, big favourite.

Signs That the Radwanska-Navratilova Partnership Is Working

Vincent Thian/Associated Press

With Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, the changes were always going to be subtle. Former Slam winners Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg could only iron out the minor kinks in their respective players' already distinguished games.

For Agnieszka Radwanska, the change should be more visible.

By bringing in Martina Navratilova, Radwanska is making a point of not accepting a comfortable top-10 position. Not least because it won't be comfortable for much longer with the likes of Angelique Kerber and Ekaterina Makarova gaining ground.

However, Navratilova's arrival is with Grand Slams in mind. Who better to call on than an 18-time winner?

There is much work to do. Radwanska's best Slam finish last season was a Melbourne semi-final place. She didn't progress past the round of 16 in any of the other three and lost at the same stage in Australia a couple of weeks ago.

Dubai will be another opportunity for signs to appear that Navratilova is making an impression. The alterations won't necessarily be visible instantly, but Radwanska has the natural ability for improvement to happen more quickly than it might for others.

Some of her tennis this year has already prompted Matt Wilansky of ESPN.com to write that Radwanska has "played the part of a potential major champion." Navratilova's work will be to ensure the part doesn't induce stage fright.

Plenty on the Line for Venus Williams

Rodrigo Abd/Associated Press

With sister Serena absent from the tournament, Venus has the opportunity to keep the Williams name in the headlines. 

A strong start to 2015 has seen Williams win the title in Auckland and reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open. Beating Caroline Wozniacki in the former tournament was countered by losing to the emerging Madison Keys in the latter.

A win in Dubai would be only Williams' second title since she won there last year, beating Alize Cornet, scourge of her sister, in the final.

This is an opportunity for her to continue her strong start to the year. Losing to Keys in the Australian quarters wasn't part of the plan, but it still represented her best Slam finish since the 2010 U.S. Open.

The signs are there that Williams can make a real impression on tour this year. Winning in Dubai would make it two wins from three tournaments and remind the world that Serena isn't the only Williams with the winning touch.